Roberta made lovely jewelry. At each general meeting, even long after she was able to attend in person, she would donate a necklace & earring set as a raffle prize. Those were usually the first prizes to be chosen!
When Roberta died, her devoted husband Ira generously donated her jewelry-making equipment and supplies to IWC. Thus began a new charitable endeavor! IWC members gather twice a month to make jewelry, which they then sell at IWC general meetings and various bazaars. Proceeds are directed to one of the Club’s approved charities, depending on which one is most in need of funds at the time.
IWC owes a huge debt of gratitude to Roberta and to Ira!
“It’s been over a month since I lost my Mom, Roberta. Today she would have turned 74. Last month, my 3 brothers and I spread her ashes at a Mayan site in the Yucatán near where she lived. She loved to visit sites when she was still able to do so. My Mom was curious, rebellious, adventurous, and independent (I got it from somewhere). She went to law school at age 50 and passed the bar on her 1st try. She got her pilot’s license in her 20s. She took us kids fossil hunting and to museums instead of to sporting events.
We moved to Chicago after an unpleasant divorce and she worked a string of awful jobs while building up her real estate practice. She had no choice but to be tough, but it wasn’t easy for her. Her escape was literature: She read over 350 books/year (really). She also couldn’t pass up an opportunity to correct grammar. She was a die hard liberal who was sick about what was going on in the US and was not shy about sharing her opinions, especially on Facebook. I’m glad she met Ira and had a 2nd spouse who shared her sense of adventure and stood by her side to the end. She struggled for years with MS and I’m glad she’s not suffering any longer, but I don’t think you ever get over losing your Mom, even when you thought you were prepared. There are so many things I wish I could tell her. She never really understood me, but she always loved me, even though I was (and continue to be) a handful. I just miss my Mom 
Michele E. Kluz, August 24, 2022